people natpacks

[<videohead>]

My news director approved me to do some natpacks where I follow characters that don't normally appear on our newscasts. In fact, it seems like people are only shown in interviews and boring staged b-roll where they walk their dogs. There is almost no observational video capturing real moments of people's lives. My first project is going to be spending a day and a night with a homeless person downtown. I know this has been done many times before and was looking for some advice about how to shoot and structure the piece.

[Flash-Frame]

Make an attempt to find an interesting homless subject. One with a decent history, maybe something that will jerk a tear. That will be your most difficult task because it will make or break your story.

Then mic up your subject and away you go. Follow him, ask him questions, and talk with people around him. Capture his life the best way you can. You should be able to easily avoid staging. Look for cutaways whenever possible.

Try to use the sound you get from him and others to carry your story.

[(Sin)ical]

This is a great story idea I always wanted to do while in news...but I never got it done. I'll share my ideas of approach with you...and maybe you'll let me see how it turns out. I'm not doing news anymore, but I'd like to see this one carried out. Tell your ND you'll need 2 weeks and an intern to log your dailies, because you're going undercover. Now get real with it...and rent a hidden camera package. Going homeless...you won't be able to just follow him around with your station gear. You can get the real life of the street if you wear a hidden camera package. Start letting yourself go...no shave..no shower..dirty nails...no hair care...dirty clothes(thrift store)...blown out shoes...as you will have to look the part to get around the homeless community.
Hang with your subject for 4-5 days and nights. You will get some HBO undercover type of footage...and get to really know your subject and his/her community and environment. With the glasses set up...you'll be able to turn your gear on/off whenever, and you can mic yourself for sound...just stay close to your subject. Remember to just be a fly on the wall...you'll have to meet and talk to some of the people your subject comes in contact with...but eventually you can just let things happen. With the glasses...you know what your shooting. Remember to keep your head movements as fluid and smooth as you can without being to obvious. They are like Buddy Holly coke bottle glasses...so if you want to zoom with your feet...people shouldn't question you to much because you'll look blind with those things on. Remember to transition your shots...so you can edit them together like it is all one night or day. If you want to blow it out and do a multi-part piece...you'll have plenty of footage. Since you are homeless for the week...have your intern save you and your subject once and a while your doing this work. Go to the station and restock your tapes, charge your batteries and eat real food.
Enjoy your weekend...shower...shave...clean up and sleep in your own bed. You've earned it! You've been homeless for a week...even slept through the night wherever he/she may have found a place to bed down. You'll have gotten all of the kinds of contacts he/she came into...public, store owners, homeless, and law enforcement. You'll have even gotten the nasty looks...as well as the empty ignoring faces of passers by. Really enjoy your weekend!
Next week you can do the typical tv news approach of doing the homeless story. Take out your station gear and interview your subject again in his element...plus get all of the box shots and b-roll you typically would shoot for the story. Now...take your subject back to the station and interview him/her in a private setting...maybe something as simple as in front of a black backdrop with some low lighting. Spend the rest of the week logging all of your footage. Now look at your elements...and the story should just jump right out at you, almost writing itself. The hard part will be editing it down to a producer's time limit. If you can get your ND to let you produce many pieces..you can really make it dance on an Avid...keying in some hidden footage along with your black bkgrnd sots. Maybe you could do a 30 minute piece and air it on Thanksgiving...and let your station have that day off. You'll never look at the homeless the same way again, and neither will your viewers. This one has the potential to get awards across the board for you...you may even shake up the NPPA world. It's almost too good to share...darn I should have sat on this one...but I think its a story that should be done right. Good luck...and let me know how it turns out. :)

[Anton Saur]

Originally posted by (Sin)ical:
This one has the potential to get awards across the board for you...you may even shake up the NPPA world. your life would then be....complete.

[<Buck>]

I'd have to pass on the homeless angle. Hasn't that been done time and time again?

This has been done too but maybe find someone with a crappy job and follow them around for as much as you can. Someone who has to work in a sewer for example. (Any old timers here remember the story from back in the late 80's/early 90's, I think it was by KSTP's(?) Jim Douglas...it was about some sewer sludge cleaners.)

The key to making your piece sing to to find a character...someone who can carry a story alone. I once worked for a new director who wouldn't allow us to do nat stories because some guys weren't good at it and ruined it for everyone. The pressure is on you! :)

[<Whoolz>]

I thought about when i was in the infested house a few weeks ago, the exterminator was so well spoken, if i miked him, it would have been a great story.

Maybe lav a producer or you ND and follow one of them for the week. Expose the television business

[<CJ>]

College students?

[<NYshooter>]

Just do the piece. Shoot absolutely everything, and think NPPA: lots of cutaways.

[<dead man walking>]

Doing an undercover photo piece on homeless people in a homeless community is a stupid idea and a good way to get yourself beat up or worse yet killed. These lives are no joke and those folks do not take well to being profiled for your silly news story. BTW I wanna work in a newsroom that gives me two weeks to go undercover with a silly self-absorbed non promotable piece. What a God-awful idea...Go do a piece on local children's theatre and how there is no funding in your community...do a piece on a dog show...the changing of seasons...whatever...All great exercises. Do you really wanna grow? OK then shoot a story and then sit down and write it! When you are done get with your favorite most trusted reporter or anchor and get it on tv. Now you are taking it to the next level.

[Sundowner]

Hey dead man walking, homeless people don't have TV's, so as long as vodeohead is careful this could be a great story. One of the earlier posts was right, people may never look at the homeless the same way again.

[<and another thing...>]

But homeles people for the most part do not want their pictures taken. Oh sure you may find a willing subject, but crackhead Bill may really like those ridiculous glasses and decide to roll you, your subject, and his ho, and take that undercover gear. Look, its dangerous on the street...and believe me, most of those folks do not take kindly to being someone's documentary subject. If you think those kinds of risks are worth it...go ahead....and PUHLEEASE....like that kind of thing is appointment tv...try getting that story promoted or the time to do it...I think most of us are down with the fact that being homeless pretty much sucks...we do not need another self-serving photo piece to tell the viewer that fact.That's the truth no matter how many NPPA's or EMMYS that kind of story gets.

[McColl]

What you all fail to realize is that Sinical is REALLY just trying to find ways to avoid bathing. ;)

Keep your head down, Mikey!

[(Sin)ical]

Lol Matt... :D I am dirty.

[adam]

I would contact a homless advocacy group and talk to a counselor or director there. They'll be able to give you some good advice on approaching subjects, angle ideas and more importantly they'll be able to direct you to a good character.